Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-06-02
A THEATRE HORROR.
Slxty-seven Persons Killed or Injured
In n Burning Theatre.

A Paris dispatch Of May 25 gives par
ticulars of the burning of the opera Com.
iquc, a well known theatre in Paris. The
latest dispatch says: The fire broke out
during performance by company, and
at the first alarm rush was made for the
exits. The fire spread with great rapidity
and many persons sprang from the win.
dows to the ground to avoid being caught
by the flames, only to meet death by con.
tact with the pavement. Fourteen Of
the persons who threw themselves from
the windows were instantly killed and
forty.thrce were picked up more or less
injured. some Of them fatally and seriously.
The probability that large number of
persons haye been crushed to death in
the galleries and on the stairways is very
great, but this is as yet uncertain II Is
however beyond question that great
many occupying seats near the stage were
caught by the fire and burned to death.
Little attention Is paid (" saving the
building, all efforts being directed TO res
cuing the unfortunate victims, whose
cries fill the air.
The dead bodies of five persons have
been taken out Of the front part Of the
theatre. They were horribly burned, and
il is doubtful that they can be identified.
Two Of them were those of woman and
little boy, the woman clasping the child
tightly in her arms.
The fire originated in one of the wings.
and was caused by q Gas jet coming in
contact with some of the scenery which
was being shifted into position for the SC.
cond act of "Mignon," the first act being
then in progress. The flames burst forth
like flash Of powder and the whole in.
terio of the theatre was almost imme.
diate y ablaze. M. Mergolier, M. Tasquin
and NJ. Bernard were on the stage at the
time and so closely were they persucd by
the flames that they were compelled to
run through the stage entrance into the
street in stage costume, as did also the
other members of the company, none of
whom were given time to take away an
article of clothing other than what they
wore. The audience of course was panic.
stricken, but through the heroic and sys-
tematic efforts of the ushers and some of
the cooler heads OF the spectators, they
were kept moving toward the exists
without trampling upon each other. All
the occupants of the major portion of
the house were gotten out without diff.
Guilty.
The flames behind the stage soon sever.
cd the gas connection, leaving the CALLER.
les and stairways in darkness before the
upper portion OF the house was cleared,
and it is feared that number of persons
were left in the upper tiers and persisted.
The roof fell in within half hour after
the fire started. Nine Setner. an actress,
was in her dressing-room when the fire
broke out, and being unable to escape was
burned to death. All the other members
of the company and employees Of the
theater escaped, but several supernumer-
aries were injured, ono or two very
seriously. The total number OF persons
known to have been killed or injured is
sixty.seven. The building was entirely
destroyed, and 1t is yet impossible to say
how many bodies are buried beneath Il
ruins.